How's D&D Working Out For You? First official feedback survey looks at CLASSES and FEATS!

D&D 5th Edition has been out for 7 months now, with a boxed Starter Set, a free basic game, three core rulebooks, two hardcover adventures, and range of accessories. and WotC has just launched the first of its feedback surveys. From the start, WotC promised 5E would be a "living game" and that they would periodically survey the fan base to find out how the game is working and what areas need to be looked at. This first survey is focused on character classes and feats. "Future surveys will touch on other areas of the game. We’ll also launch more detailed surveys of classes or feats as needed to refine the information we gather and better understand your feedback."

You can take the survey here. It can take up to about 18 minutes to complete if you answer all of the questions. But once you've done it, please do feel free to comment here and share what you think for others to read, too!

Most of the released products have high ratings when looking at consolidated ratings from fans and reviews from popular sites like GeekDad, Forbes, The Escapist, Examiner.com, The Mary Sue, Aint-It-Cool-News, Boing Boing, and iO9. The Player's Handbook and the Dungeon Master's Guide both current have 92.5%, and the Monster Manual is not far behind with 91%. The Starter Set, also, has a strong 84%. The adventures have not fared quite so well; Hoard of the Dragon Queen has only 55%, although Rise of Tiamat is more popular with 76.5%. The initial DM Screen from Gale Force 9 is unpopular with a rating of 30%, but the new one from WotC was much better received with 84.5%.

 

[halfling rogue]

Someone asked Mearls on Twitter: "why such a focus on character class balance? Probably what I find least interesting about Da&D."

Mearls responded: "it's the easiest place to start and requires the longest time for us to tackle"

He also said classes like Paladins will be in the next survey

 

[Imaro]

I did not explain why Class Features and spells needs a clean-up.

New players are overwhelmed because they have to keep looking up the same spells and class features just to remember the details. This frustrates new players.

Wizards should immediately release free summary sheets.

I've heard the argument that people should just keep looking this stuff up in the book and eventually they will learn what the features and spells do. I think this is a very poor argument. Players just end up making summary notes for themselves anyway. But they often miss important features or do not interpret what the spells are saying correctly, sometimes because the descriptions in the book are poor.

Why not just use a form fillable sheet and type them out... save it and you only have to add stuff you gain as you level up... also there are some summary sheets floating around the interwebs for 5e spells and class abilities.

 

[Morrus]

Someone asked Mearls on Twitter: "why such a focus on character class balance? Probably what I find least interesting about Da&D."

That's quite funny - like the survey itself is supposed to entertain!

 

[AverageCitizen]

I don't think the survey was about balance, it is about the perception of power. It is about satisfaction. It doesn't matter if it is balanced, if the beastmaster feels gimped then it needs work.

 

[Li Shenron]

I have the exact same feeling as you. When I first heard that there was going to be a living document or whatever I had a case of the 'uh ohs'.

That said, I don't think we still know exactly what WotC means by 'living'. Does it mean continual minor rule changes that slowly morph or 'turn' the game in a new direction? Does it mean all of the extra 'growth' will be merely optional, like the modifications provided in the DMG, where one might say "This is 5e, but it's not Basic"? Or does it mean simply that it is going to expand the foundation, meaning will they slowly increase their Basic document to include everything not included in the Core Books? Not changed material, but new material, or at least new Basic material? (because from what I gather, the purpose of Basic is to be the fundamental game where anyone can play Basic alongside anything else released for 5e, including the PHB.)

Ultimately I dread the same as you. But it really depends on what they mean by 'living' and how they receive, ignore, and implement stuff from the surveys.

Clearly, adding material to Basic is not a problem at all

Maybe I am being pessimistic, but I really think it means updating rules. To WotC it serves two purposes: fixing their own mistakes, and selling the same thing twice.

The latter only applies if the rules update go into any sale product at all, because if they only update Basic then it's not the case. But it worked in 3ed because a lot of people re-bought the core books, and also 3.5 splatbooks contained a significant portion of 3.0 material updated (sometimes minimally) to the revised rules. I am not sure but I think in 4e there were also rules updates, going into online tools?

About fixing mistakes... They had 2 years of public playtesting to check the general concepts (also the mechanical ones) so then the updates should concern only small things. But since 5e is supposed to be a "lighter" edition with regard to RAW, why updating them at all?

Note that there are little things that bother me too... for instance I don't like Guidance at will, druid armor restrictions, unlimited wildshape at 20th level, and potentially unbound usage of second wind...

But then I think that in order to get those few things "fixed" (which maybe if I'm lucky they will change 1-2 of them at all...), I have to accept 50 more minor updates that make my books obsolete... or worse, one different reprint every year, so that when you sit at the table you have people with different versions? No way! This is not a MMORPG that gets updated silently in the background so that everybody has the same version.

 

[Mistwell]

That's quite funny - like the survey itself is supposed to entertain!

I don't think that's what was meant. They meant they find class balance boring in the game itself - so why focus on tweaking that when it's just tweaking a boring thing to begin with to be even more boring?

 

[GMforPowergamers]

But then I think that in order to get those few things "fixed" (which maybe if I'm lucky they will change 1-2 of them at all...), I have to accept 50 more minor updates that make my books obsolete... or worse, one different reprint every year, so that when you sit at the table you have people with different versions? No way! This is not a MMORPG that gets updated silently in the background so that everybody has the same version.

yup... the choice is:
A) get little to no updates, and as such never fix issues, even ones known to cause problems at the table
or
B) get updates every few months (8-16 months) and risk what you said...

 

[Li Shenron]

yup... the choice is:
A) get little to no updates, and as such never fix issues, even ones known to cause problems at the table
or
B) get updates every few months (8-16 months) and risk what you said...

Yes but for me the choice would be a no-brainer A) also because "risk" in part B) is actually "certainty".

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Yes but for me the choice would be a no-brainer A) also because "risk" in part B) is actually "certainty".

I can't imagine an option C that works in the real world (in a perfect world everyone agrees to do only revisions and errata YOU want), the best I can suggest is just ignore it...

 

[Krakenspire]

I find it interesting some of the responses here regarding the survey, particularly the ones complaining about comparisons and the survey not being specific enough.

Specific surveys don't work in this context. At all. There's plenty of research on this. If you want specifics then you interview and ask subject matter experts or you read the ample space provided for feedback..

Surveys are for trends and generalities. The best way to get generalities is through your classic 5 option really good to really bad survey. Same thing goes for comparisons. Comparisons are extremely useful.

Why you think something is far less important than what you think. For example, what if I thought a bard was more powerful than a fighter because my DM runs a social role playing campaign vice hack and slash. Now change the campaign to a classic dungeon crawl and maybe the fighter gets more love. Why I thought the bard was better is not important, and Wotc can't control for that

Another survey on type of game people are playing can actually sort that part out and trends can emerge. Ie: what is more important to your game, roll playing, combat...